by InTrieste
On Monday, March 2, the Paralympic flame for the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games will arrive in Trieste, marking one of 13 stops on an 11-day journey across Italy in the lead-up to next year’s Games.
The flame was lit on February 24 in Stoke Mandeville, the British village widely regarded as the birthplace of the Paralympic movement. From there it traveled to Turin before beginning a 2,000-kilometer relay that will pass through cities across the country. The tour is intended to promote inclusion, determination and the values of sport ahead of the Winter Paralympics, scheduled to take place from March 6 to 15, 2026.
In Trieste, the flame is expected to reach Piazza Unità d’Italia at approximately 7:15 p.m., where the ceremonial cauldron will be lit. Public celebrations in the square are set to begin at 5 p.m. and conclude by 8 p.m.
Between 5:30 and 6 p.m., a segment of the program will be dedicated to the City of Trieste. The journalist Marco Bernobich of City Sport, serving as host for that portion of the event, will lead a series of remarks and interviews focusing on local sports initiatives and the city’s engagement with Paralympic values.
Scheduled speakers include Trieste’s mayor, Roberto Dipiazza; the city’s sports councilor, Elisa Lodi; and the president of the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, Massimiliano Fedriga. The Paralympic table tennis player Matteo Parenzan is also expected to appear onstage.
Representing the Italian Paralympic Committee will be its vice presidents, Amedeo Bozzer, responsible for national Paralympic sports federations, and Max Popaiz, who oversees Paralympic sports disciplines.
The relay through Trieste will take place largely within pedestrian areas, a decision organizers say is intended to ensure safety and allow residents and visitors to watch the procession in an accessible setting. The route will begin at Piazza Venezia and continue along Via Torino, Piazza Hortis, Via di Cavana, Piazza Cavana, Via del Pesce, Via Boccardi and Riva del Mandracchio before concluding in Piazza Unità d’Italia.
The first torchbearer is expected to depart at approximately 5:44 p.m. While minor traffic delays are possible, no road closures are currently planned.
Trieste’s stop on the relay underscores the city’s participation in a national celebration that links communities across Italy to an international sporting event rooted in the history of adaptive athletics and now poised to draw global attention next March.
